Fans were excited to see what the new era in Blue Jackets hockey would look like. For the first time in Rick Nash’s career, he’d have a center who could keep up with him. At least that was the plan when we looked at the team on paper in the offseason. So what would it look like when the idea was put into practice in a regular season game?

Pretty good. Pretty darn good.

Columbus lost their first game of the season against the rival Nashville Predators, but it wasn’t due to lack of production from the Jackets new look top line. Newcomer Jeff Carter had a pair of assists in his Jackets debut, Vinny Prospal had a goal and assist, and captain Rick Nash had a goal and assist as well. Pretty good numbers considering the Predators feature the best defensive pairing in the league and one of the best goaltenders.

Unfortunately for Columbus, the rest of the team failed to get anything done and they fell 3-2.

It wasn’t all that long ago that Jeff Carter was upset about his trade out of Philadelphia. Most will remember that in the days immediately following the trade, Carter was nowhere to be found as he let the deal digest. But all that is in the past:

“It’s exciting to get out there and play a real game. It seems like the trade didn’t happen all that long ago, but now here we are, ready to go.”

Two assists are certainly a good way to get off on the right foot. The next step will be for the Blue Jackets to put a W in the win column—but Carter and his linemates undoubtedly did their part. Carter finished the game with his two assists (both at even strength), a +1 rating, 6 shots on goal, and won 77% of the draws he took in his first game. His 20:40 of ice time was second among Blue Jackets forwards—only behind captain Rich Nash. So much for easing the new guy into his new role.

“Every time they’re on the ice, they seem to have at least one scoring chance,” Rinne said. “Or at least they try to shoot and try to create every single shift. If you’re a goalie or a defenseman, it’s challenging…”

It was a good start for Carter in Columbus, but now the team as a whole will need to improve to start posting some wins. The first place to improve is on the power play. Despite the strong play from the big guns, the power play that struggled last season struggled during stretches again. Arniel counted eight chances on the power play—but the number that matters the most is 0. As in 0 for 5 on the power play. That’s not going to cut it for the team that finished 29th in the league with a 14% power play last season. But if the trio continues playing like they did tonight, those numbers are bound to turnaround.

For the first night in Columbus, Carter and his linemates gave fans something to look forward to. Now he’ll just need to get a little help from his friends. They’ll have 81 more games to show they’re capable of stepping up their game.